Kangaroo Island

Some say it is the most beautiful place they have ever been to, some say this is the Galapagos of Australia and some say it is a zoo without fences. We say: don’t miss out on this when visiting Australia.Kangaroo Island or ”KI” to the locals is minutes away from the mainland of South Australia; it is an island with 509km of Coastline with native bush land, wildlife and pristine beaches.

How to get here?

To get here you can choose to take a 30-minute flight from Adelaide to Kingscote Airport or a 45-minute ferry ride from Cape Jervis. The SeaLink ferry takes you, and your car or motorhome, across the water to Penneshaw. They have two ferries operating back to back and generally there are 4 services each way per day; and extra departures during peak season.

We took the ferry and brought our campervan with us. It cost 374AU$ for two people and the campervan – we found that a bit expensive, but well worth it. We made the booking the day before and had a few options on when we could go, but you should book in advance as the ferries can be full. It is possible to book online, but when taking a bigger car such as a campervan or caravan you have to call them.

Image borrowed from www.sealink.com.au

How to get around and where to sleep?

The public transport on Kangaroo Island is limited but SeaLink runs a coach service between Penneshaw, American River and Kingscote twice a day and there are shuttle buses that provide transfers between towns, and you can also choose to join a tour or bring your own car. As written earlier we had our Britz campervan with us, which made it easy for us to get around, and we only had to find a camping site.There are a few caravan parks to choose from and also some areas where camping is permitted, but also other options from simple lodgings and hotels to breathtaking luxury.

We stayed at Western KI Caravan Park for 30AU$ a night for a powered site, and it is a simple caravan park with only the most necessary you need, but you are so close to the wildlife. The wallabies were jumping all around the place, and at dusk you got some visit from the curious ones. This is one of the places where it is a big chance to spot a Koala in the wild, and so did we. The morning when we were leaving the park a koala suddenly came climbing down from the tree in front of our van and walked right past us – oh my, what an experience!

We spent Valentine’s Day at this beautiful island

There are so much wildlife at this island so drive safe, especially during dawn, dusk and the nighttime when the kangaroos, koalas and wallabies are more active. But be alert during the daytime too as lizards and goannas love to lie on the warm roads.
We only had two days and one night on KI, but we made the best out of it visiting Flinders Chase National Park, home to two iconic landmarks: Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch.We also stopped by Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to take a koala walk, a great way to see some Koalas.

The Remarkable Rocks:

The Admiral Arch:

From the Koala Walk:

This is an island full of animals where you likely get to see koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and seals, and the nature there is so beautiful. It’s easy to get around on a self-drive tour and to explore on your own, and there are plenty of activities to do if you are staying longer than we did, such as quad biking, sandboarding, fishing, kayaking and so much more.

Do you want to get close to the wildlife, gorgeous nature and are visiting South Australia with a few days to spare, then take the short trip over to Kangaroo Island.